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Best Learning Toys For 2020

The 40 Best Learning Toys of 2020

As POPSUGAR editors, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. If you buy a product we have recommended, we may receive affiliate commission, which in turn supports our work.

Shopping for learning and educational toys has never been easier. Whether you have a young toddler who's just starting to master blocks and is loving exploring the world, or an older kid who's well into STEM projects, science experiments, and robots, we found the leading 40 toys that will continue inspiring them to learn.

Image Source: Amazon

Qwirkle

A combination of Sequence and Dominos, Qwirkle ($23) helps kids develop their problem-solving skills while competing against their friends.

Qwirkle
$23
from amazon.com
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Lovevery The Block Set

The Block Set ($90) by Lovevery is an expansion of its stage-based line. It's a neat and tidy kit of blocks, shapes, wheels, and other pieces — all nontoxic — that in total creates 20 different challenges for kids, each one more advanced than the next.

Image Source: amazon.com
The Block Set
$90
from amazon.com
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Scientific Explorer Mind Blowing Science Kit

If your kid has a curious mind, this Scientific Explorer Mind Blowing Science Kit ($10) is perfect. It helps your child to explore and learn the basics of science, from chemical reactions to the use of scientific tools.

Scientific Explorer Mind Blowing Science Kit
$10
from amazon.com
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The Moodsters Feelings Flashlight and Storybook

The Moodsters Feelings Flashlight and Storybook ($8) helps children navigate their feelings and learn how to express themselves.

Image Source: amazon.com
The Moodsters Feelings Flashlight and Storybook
$8
from amazon.com
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B Toys Symphony in B Orchestra

A virtual orchestra pit, B. Toys's Symphony in B ($55) is preprogrammed with 15 songs and symphonies. It comes with 13 instruments that can be added one at a time to the "stage" to actually create the music. So if the tuba, piano, and violin are on stage, the song sounds different than it does if the sitar, cymbals, and clarinet are there.

Symphony in B
$55
from amazon.com
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Briarpatch I Spy Eagle Eye Game

This Briarpatch I Spy Eagle Eye Game ($15) comes with 30 cards, four boards, and a bell. The better you get at the game, the faster you can play.

Image Source: amazon.com
Briarpatch I Spy Eagle Eye Game
$15
from amazon.com
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DK Games: Silly Sentences

Boost your kid's spelling skills with this entertaining DK Games: Silly Sentences Kit ($10). Children learn how to build proper sentences with pictures and colours.

Image Source: Amazon
DK Games: Silly Sentences Kit
$10
from amazon.com
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Laser Maze Logic Game

Lasers make everything — especially learning — a lot cooler. By using sequential reasoning and planning skills, kids line up tokens to successfully shoot a laser at the target in this single-player Laser Maze Logic Game ($25, originally $32).

Laser Maze Logic Game
$25
from amazon.com
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ThinkFun Gravity Maze Marble Run Logic Game and STEM Toy 

The ThinkFun Gravity Maze Marble Run Logic Game and STEM Toy ($230) contains 60 challenges, some multilevel.

Image Source: amazon.com

LittleBits Star Wars Droid Inventor Kit

The LittleBits Star Wars Droid Inventor Kit ($99) gives your Star Wars-lover a leg up when it comes to technology and engineering skills. Once built, the droid's "missions" inspire creativity and aid kiddos in teaching their R2-D2 lookalike new skills.

LittleBits Star Wars Droid Inventor Kit
$99
from amazon.com
Buy Now

Pop Bottle Science

Experience science through 79 experiments that can be done with a soda bottle when you gift your child the Pop Bottle Science Kit ($7).

Pop Bottle Science Kit
$7
from walmart.com
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Primary Mix and Measure Set

Send him on a scientific journey with the Learning Resources Mix And Measure Activity Set ($25). Using the tools and some simple ingredients, kids can create puffy paint, slime, and more fun projects.

Learning Resources Mix And Measure Activity Set
$25
from amazon.com
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Roominate Studio

Roominate Studio ($14) was created by engineers out of Caltech, MIT, and Stanford. It encourages girls to learn how to use circuits to make their self-built dollhouses more realistic with moving lifts, working lights, and anything else they can create.

Image Source: amazon.com
Roominate Studio
$14
from amazon.com
Buy Now

IQ Twist

Don't limit educational toys to the house. This on-the-go IQ Twist Game ($10) gets kids thinking with 100 solvable brainteasers.

Image Source: amazon.com
IQ Twist Game
$10
from amazon.com
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Educational Insights Design & Drill See-Through Creative Workshop

Build fine motor skills and introduce your kids to STEM early with the Educational Insights Design & Drill See-Through Creative Workshop ($30).

Image Source: amazon.com

Snap Circuits Alternative Energy Kit

Show her how science can save the planet! This Snap Circuit Kit ($53, originally $80) teaches kids how to make the world a greener place using their brains.

Snap Circuit Kit
$53
from amazon.com
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Rocket Science

Don't let the name mislead you. Rocket Science ($35) brings physics to life with a series of easy experiments and games.

Rocket Science
$35
from amazon.com
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Lego Mindstorms EV3

For the kid who's already got the basics down, Lego's Mindstorms EV3 ($350) may be the ultimate programmable robot. Kids (and grown-ups) can build the robot into one of five different versions and then program it to walk, talk, and think. Don't just want it to move on its own? Grab the remote control and help it move that way, or download a free app and move it with your phone or tablet. Either way, the robot will do what your child instructed it to do!

Mindstorms EV3
$350
from amazon.com
Buy Now

Snap Circuits Jr. SC-100 Electronics Discovery Kit

The Snap Circuits Jr. SC-100 Electronics Discovery Kit ($22, originally $35) gives curious children hands-on experience working with electrical circuits.

Image Source: amazon.com
Snap Circuits Jr. SC-100 Electronics Discovery Kit
$22
from amazon.com
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Plan Toys Marine Puzzle

Teach your toddler about marine life while getting their hand-and-eye coordination working with this Plan Toys Marine Puzzle ($22).

Plan Toys Marine Puzzle
$22
from target.com
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Lego Architecture Studio

If your teen shows a serious interest in architecture, invest in Lego's studio ($170). With more than 1,000 bricks and a 272-page guide, he will build — literally — on his maths, design, and engineering skills.

Lego's studio
$170
from amazon.com
Buy Now

LeapFrog Scribble and Write

LeapFrog's Scribble and Write ($22) helps little ones learn their letters and numbers.

Image Source: Amazon
Scribble and Write
$22
from amazon.com
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Melissa & Doug Shape Sorter

This cute and classic Melissa & Doug Shape Sorter ($20) helps toddlers to learn about colour-matching and problem-solving.

Melissa & Doug Shape Sorter
$20
from shop.nordstrom.com
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Tinker Crate Subscription

Kiwi Crate entered the STEM education genre with the introduction of the Tinker Crate ($20 per month for three months) for kids ages 9 to 16 and up. These boxes are filled with projects that encourage problem-solving skills while kids create things like trebuchets and motors following step-by-step (and age-appropriate) instructions. While the projects sound complicated, they're anything but! They're designed to build confidence and encourage kids without frustrating them. Each month, a box will arrive with all the materials kids need to complete the project and a blueprint for getting there. An accompanying magazine, called Tinker Zine, features cartoon strips, science-based stories, and additional activities kids can do with their completed projects.

Tinker Crate
$20
from tinker.kiwicrate.com
Buy Now

Guidecraft Memory Caps Game

Starting for kids ages 3 and up, this Guidecraft Memory Caps Game ($34, originally $40) helps stimulate hand-eye coordination.

Image Source: Kohl's
Guidecraft Memory Caps Game
$34
from kohls.com
Buy Now

DISCOVERY KIDS Mindblown STEM 12-in-1 Solar Robot Creation 190-Piece Kit

The DISCOVERY KIDS Mindblown STEM 12-in-1 Solar Robot Creation 190-Piece Kit ($29) will keep them busy and encourage them to solve complex puzzles.

Image Source: amazon.com
DISCOVERY KIDS Mindblown STEM 12-in-1 Solar Robot Creation 190-Piece Kit
$29
from amazon.com
Buy Now

M.A.X. Robotic Interactive Toy With Artificial Intelligence

M.A.X., Meccano's Robotic Interactive Toy With Artificial Intelligence ($100, originally $150), gives younger kids insight into the worlds of engineering and robotics with this adorable little robot who learns through AI but can also be programmed by your child (hello, coding skills!).

Robotic Interactive Toy With Artificial Intelligence
$100
from amazon.com
Buy Now

National Geographic Volcano Science Kit

Who doesn't like to see a model volcano explode? With the National Geographic Volcano Science Kit ($10), kids can decorate their volcano before adding vinegar, bicarbonate of soda, and pebbles to it and watching it erupt.

National Geographic Volcano Science Kit
$10
from amazon.com
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Alex Toys Let's Pretend School

Alex Toys Let's Pretend School ($14) is a 255-piece set that has everything you need to run your own classroom.

Alex Toys Let's Pretend School
$14
from amazon.com
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Foxmind Architecto

With Foxmind Architecto ($25), kids will be challenged to build 3D structures using geometrical blocks.

Image Source: amazon.com
Foxmind Architecto
$25
from amazon.com
Buy Now

MindWare Q-Ba-Maze Big Box

All marble runs are not the same. With MindWare Q-Ba-Maze Big Box ($34, originally $40), kids not only design their mazes themselves but they can create them in animal, geometric, or virtually any shape they like.

MindWare Q-Ba-Maze Big Box
$34
from amazon.com
Buy Now

Cue Robot

Using play to teach coding, Wonder Workshop's Cue Robot ($146, originally $200) is a witty little robot who operates on emotive AI and can be customised with one of four avatars that each has its own depths of personality. When used with the app, tweens can chat with Cue, control its movements, create reactive sensor behaviours, and code interactions using JavaScript.

Cue Robot
$146
from amazon.com
Buy Now

Lego Boost Creative Toolbox

You've never seen Lego play quite like this. Lego Boost Creative Toolbox ($160) fuses brick building and iPad play by helping kids to construct one of five multifunctional robots then control them with easy-to-use coding blocks on their tablet.

Lego Boost Creative Toolbox
$160
from amazon.com
Buy Now

Tenergy Dynamo Lantern Educational STEM Building Toy

Kids can learn how electricity works with this Tenergy Dynamo Lantern Educational STEM Building Toy ($15). The clear tool is powered by hand cranking it, so they can see the process working.

Image Source: amazon.com
Tenergy Dynamo Lantern Educational STEM Building Toy
$15
from amazon.com
Buy Now

Mirari Pop! Pop! Piano

This Mirari Pop! Pop! Piano ($24, originally $33) features stars inside that pop up when you play music on the keyboard. This teaches babies cause and effect, while increasing self-expression through musical creation.

Mirari Pop! Pop! Piano
$24
from kohls.com
Buy Now

Puzzlets

Puzzlets ($100) is designed to teach preschoolers how video games are programmed. Using a board that connects to a computer or tablet, kids place puzzle pieces into the board to help the characters find solutions to their puzzles. So when you want the character to jump, you place the jump piece into the next available slot, and when you want him to run faster, you place the fast piece on the board. When strung together (like a code), the pieces instruct the characters how to move.

Puzzlets
$100
from amazon.com
Buy Now

Learning Resources Botley the Coding Robot Action Challenge Accessory Set

TheLearning Resources Botley the Coding Robot Action Challenge Accessory Set ($10) includes dominos, swinging hammers, rolling balls, and more.

Image Source: amazon.com
Learning Resources Botley the Coding Robot Action Challenge Accessory Set
$10
from amazon.com
Buy Now

Magna-Tiles

Give your architect-in-training a gift he'll use every day. Magna-Tiles ($60 for a 32-piece set) are a fun alternative to basic building blocks and a great way to teach kids basic geometry.

GoldieBlox and the Spinning Machine

Not all fairy tales are about princesses, as GoldieBlox and the Spinning Machine ($30) proves. Part of a construction toy and book series for girls, GoldieBlox shows little ladies that engineering and fun aren't mutually exclusive. The story's star is a young inventor who fashions a belt drive out of pegs, axles, wheels, and ribbon, right alongside her readers.

GoldieBlox and the Spinning Machine
$30
from amazon.com
Buy Now

K'NEX Solar Energy Building Set

The go-to educational toy, K'NEX's Solar Energy Building Set ($59, originally $70) goes beyond engineering. Each of the machines in this set require light to function, teaching kids the importance of solar energy.

Solar Energy Building Set
$59
from amazon.com
Buy Now

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